Kitchener woman swims across Lake Erie for good cause
Kitchener woman swims across Lake Erie for good cause
A Kitchener woman has swam across Lake Erie in treacherous conditions to raise money for an organization supporting youth mental health.
Coralee Allaert, 22, swam 19.2 kilometers over eight hours on Thursday from Sturgeon Point, New York, to Crystal Beach, Ontario.
"The swim was very challenging," she said. "Mentally, physically, and emotionally."
The swim also had to be rescheduled several times due to inclement weather, but fourth time was the charm.
"I'm happy to say I conquered Lake Erie successfully in eight hours and 50 minutes," said Allaert. "It's pretty surreal, but I did it."
At certain points, weather changed and forced her to battle six foot waves and 30 km/h winds.
"I've seen veterans in our sport that wouldn't have been able to manage to what she did," said swim pilot and coach Christine Arseneault, who was part of the team that followed along and tracked her strokes. "She didn't waiver. I thought, 'this young lady is chipping away at this, she's doing this, so there's no reason, unless something comes up, there's no reason we have to end this.'
"When they see that and they look at what she's doing, it's inspiring. It's needed."
Allaert was able to raise over $8,000 for youth mental health charity jack.org.
"I have my own struggles and I know youth out there have their own struggles too," she said. "Being their voice for those youth that are no longer with us today kept me going forward."
Allaert hopes to swim across Lake Ontario in August.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We've been abandoned': Man dies in B.C. town waiting for health care near ambulance station
For the second time in less than a month, a resident of Ashcroft, B.C., died while waiting for health care.

Canadian home sales fall for 5th month in a row, down 29 per cent from last July
Canada's average resale home price fell 4.5% from a year ago in July and was down 5.4% on the month as buyers continued to sit on the sidelines amid rising borrowing costs.
British regulator 1st in world to OK Moderna's updated COVID booster
British drug regulators have become the first in the world to authorize an updated version of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine that aims to protect against the original virus and the omicron variant.
Canada less than halfway to Afghan resettlement goal one year after Taliban takeover
A year after the Taliban seized control of Kabul, Canada's resettlement efforts have lagged behind official targets and the efforts to help those fleeing the war in Ukraine. More than 17,300 Afghans have arrived in Canada since last August compared to 71,800 Ukrainians who have come to Canada in 2022 alone.
Anne Heche taken off life support, 9 days after car crash
Anne Heche, the Emmy-winning film and television actor whose dramatic Hollywood rise in the 1990s and accomplished career contrasted with personal chapters of turmoil, died of injuries from a fiery car crash. She was 53.
China announces new drills as U.S. delegation visits Taiwan
China announced more military drills around Taiwan as the self-governing island's president met with members of a new U.S. congressional delegation on Monday, threatening to renew tensions between Beijing and Washington just days after a similar visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi angered China.
Padma Lakshmi 'worried and wordless' over attack on ex-husband Salman Rushdie
Padma Lakshmi is supporting her ex-husband Salman Rushdie in his recovery. The 'Top Chef' star tweeted Sunday that she is 'relieved' Rushdie is 'pulling through after Friday's nightmare' in which he was stabbed multiple times while on stage in New York.
Colonial Building in Newfoundland won't be renamed after all: provincial government
The Newfoundland and Labrador government says it will not be changing the name of the Colonial Building in downtown St. John's.
About 4,000 beagles destined for drug experiments finding new homes
About 4,000 beagles are looking for homes after animal rescue organizations started removing them from a Virginia facility that bred them to be sold to laboratories for drug experiments.